The CashWorks check cashing capabilities was introduced in July on selected Tranax models and will be expanded to include all models in coming months. This is all provided risk free to participating merchants and with the full security of the Tranax ATM platform.

   The award was made at the association's inaugural meeting in Chicago in July. Carr was also recently recognized as an industry Mover and Shaker in Transaction World's August 03 issue.

   Part of the problem is that the final settlement didn't specify that merchants had to receive any of the reduced interchange fee.

   Security Network, Inc. and Custom Tooling & Service, Inc., operators of a Florida escort service, had sued Cardservice and Humboldt Bank in Los Angeles Superior Court claiming, among other things, that the defendants wrongfully withheld the merchant's processing funds and security deposits following termination of their agreement to process credit card charges for the escort service. The jury found that the refusal to timely release the merchant's funds after termination constituted conversion, and awarded the plaintiffs $150,000 for the merchant's funds wrongfully seized by Cardservice and Humboldt Bank. Additionally, the jury found that the conduct of Humboldt Bank and Cardservice in taking the merchant's funds was done with fraud, oppression, or malice and awarded the plaintiffs punitive damages in the sum of $3 million. Two million dollars of the punitive damages was awarded against Humboldt Bank and $1 million of the punitive damages was awarded against Cardservice. The jury found that Cardservice and Humboldt Bank withheld the merchant's funds without legal justification. In assessing punitive damages, the jury considered the reprehensibility of the defendants' conduct in both withholding the merchant's funds and trying to justify same by alluding to the adult entertainment nature of the plaintiffs' business.

   Wells, who has extensive financial and payments-related experience, retired from Wachovia Corporation in 2002 after 26 years of service. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President for the Retail Division including bankcard services and the acquiring business from the outsourced processing relationship as well as the acquirer back-office support function. In addition, Wells led Wachovia's $7.8 billion dollar credit card operation.

   In addition to advertising and publicity, the company plans to promote the site through the sophisticated use of search engine optimization techniques that will direct merchants seeking information about credit card processing services to merchantservices.com.

   The survey, commissioned by Paymentech, shows that households of six to eight people were most likely to prefer paying bills online by using electronic checking, or "e-checks." In fact, one in four Americans living in these larger households said they prefer to use electronic checking. Conversely, households with six or more people are also the least likely to pay bills "the old fashioned way" ­ by mailing in a paper check. Another group likely to e-check is households that earn $50-75K per year, with 21 percent saying they used e-checking to avoid late charges, and 26 percent saying they use it to eliminate snail mail.

   The civil settlement agreement, filed in the Eastern District of Missouri, states that PayPal, Inc., illegally transmitted millions of dollars in funds derived from criminal offenses. The uncontested allegations of the settlement agreement establish that PayPal's conduct, upon which this forfeiture rests, occurred between approximately mid-June 2000 and November 2002, in the Eastern District of Missouri and elsewhere. The settlement agreement states that on or about October 26, 2001 through November 2002, PayPal illegally transmitted monies that violated the federal Wire Wager Act, as well as various states' statutes prohibiting online gambling. The $10 million settlement represents an agreed-upon amount of forfeitable proceeds derived by PayPal, Inc. from the processing of the illegal gambling transactions. The settlement agreement also provides that PayPal maintain a corporate compliance program for at least two years. This settlement fully resolves the government's forfeiture claims against PayPal and its corporate parent, eBay, for this conduct. The agreement does not limit the federal government from pursuing any other entities or individuals for these or any other alleged violations of federal law.

   BPS also will give its customers using Lipman USA's NuritŪ 3010 and NuritŪ 8000 Portable Payment Solutions the option of routing their credit card and other wireless transactions through the Comstar Gateway via either of the nation's two largest wireless data services ­ Cingular Wireless' Mobitex network or the Motient network. Comstar also announced it received a second patent for its technology during the summer.

   Walmart.com will use Certegy's PayNet suite of services designed to manage customer-not-present transactions. When a customer begins to check out, a screen pops up on her computer. The screen asks the person if she wants to pay by check. If the answer is yes, the customer types in her checking account number, bank routing number, driver's license number or state identification number, and her birth date. PayNet guarantees Walmart.com's payment.

   The transaction continues a program of expansion and diversification of Cardtronics' ATM network by adding relationships with 22 new corporate retail organizations and 40 independent merchants to the company's portfolio. Many of the corporate relationships acquired by Cardtronics are with national supermarkets, pharmacies, department stores and warehouse stores. The acquisition, the largest yet for Cardtronics, brings the number of ATM machines it owns and/or manages to more than 12,500. Including this acquisition, Cardtronics has acquired more than 5,000 ATMs and related contracts in the past year.

   Offered exclusively to registered sales partners of Total Merchant Services, the plan provides for the purchase of brand new Hypercom terminals at about two-thirds of list price.

   The card is called the AOL Cash Card and is based on the Visa Buxx platform.

   The company has alliances with VeriFone, Ingenico, Hypercom and Lipman to sell the application.